Logan pondered that. Its too risky, he finally said. Theyre not stupid. As well, youre outnumbered. One of them could easily follow the first man or woman leaving the building who fit our general descriptions. No, Ill just have to hang out here until after dark.
And then what?
Ill make a run for it. I know this part of town pretty well. Down a few alleys, over a few back fences, and Ive shaken them.
Hardly, she said with a sniff. That costume youre wearing is made of glow-in-the-dark material. The spots that run down your right side are phosphorescent, as are the white stripes running down the left.
Thats the dumbest thing Ive ever heard of. When would you play a clown in the dark?
Daphne treated him to a scowl. Not all kids birthday parties are at two oclock in the afternoon. Parents who work nine to five sometimes have after-dinner dos.
Oh. I never thought of that. I should have, I suppose. My mom let me have a few campouts in the backyard with pals on my birthdays. But then, I was probably in fifth or sixth grade and wouldve died before I let her book a clown.
Im sure, she drawled, raising an eyebrow. What interests fifth- and sixth-grade boys are fifth- and sixth-grade girls.
Wrong, he threw back. My buddies and I went for older women. My mom would kill me if she knew Danny Welch and I smuggled two eighth-grade girls in for one of our campouts. He shook his head and chuckled at the memory.
Daphne noticed how laughing altered the harsh, hollow planes of Logan Grants lived-in face. Shed thought he was good-looking before, but mainly because of his body and his incredible blue eyes. Her dads family had those Delft-blue eyes. Some of the Malones were even blessed with beautiful Irish-green eyes. Two of her brothers, in factPerry and Kieran. Dane and Beckys were a pretty hazel that changed shades with their moods.
As a kid Daphne used to check in the mirror every morning after saying a novena the night before, praying for her odd gold eyes to magically change color. It so happened that her mom, who was as Greek as someone named Calandra Dimitrious could be, had olive skin, black hair and dark eyesgenes she might have passed straight to her firstborn daughter. But no. If Daphne hadnt resembled her mothers baby pictures, shed be sure the hospital had switched her at birth. Her eyes were the color of old brass.
Logan continued to prowl the kitchen. By now his over-long hair was practically standing on end.
I could go down the hall and use Mrs. OBannons phone to call your boss. Her son Shawn insists his mother have a phone, even though shes deaf as a post. I know she wouldnt mind my using it. Shawns forever calling me to see if shes okay. He phones her, and she doesnt hear the ring.
Why didnt you say so sooner? Logan started to pull up the damp clown suit as he headed for the door. Introduce me as a friend or coworker. Ill phone Simon.
No. You dont understand. Daphne bit her lip. Shawn OBannon and Dane work together. And his mom, for all that shes half-deaf, is an incurable gossip. That means Id have to explain to my whole family how I met you, andwell, Id rather not.
Logan let the costume fall to his hips again, clearly torn between pushing the issue based on his authority as a special agent and complying with Daphnes wishes. All right, he said reluctantly. But Ill write down exactly what I need you to tell Simon. Its important you relay the codes exactly as I give them. And keep the call short, Daphne, in case our pals have already tapped the main phone line. Otherwise, Billets just say it could prove dangerous for both of us if you stay on long enough to attract a trace.
Daphne was sure hed almost revealed the name of an important person in the organization the FBI hoped to infiltrate. Bill something. Obviously Logan didnt trust her, despite everything theyd been through together. And after he said shed handled herself well, too.
She found that slightly depressing. Her brothers always did thatclosed her out, talking over her head as if she didnt have brains enough to know some things were classified information.
Logan apparently had no idea that hed insulted her. He snatched the paper and pencil shed rummaged for and found in her desk. He bent over the small secretary with its one wobbly leg, writing in a clear, legible hand. All in capital letters. Facts of that nature interested Daphne. She thought the way someone wrote revealed a lot about his or her personality and shed read several books about it. For instance, if she remembered correctly, peopleusually menwho wrote everything in caps did so to throw up a wall. Theyd either been badly hurt or felt betrayed by someone close to them.
She averted her eyes, not wanting to spy. But when shed completed his call, Daphne intended to look up the specifics in her handwriting dictionary, to make sure she was correct in her analysis.
All these numbers mean what? she asked, glancing at the paper hed thrust into her hand. The bold strokes were mostly gibberish to her. Does it tell your colleagues you need them to come and pick you up here?
The less you reveal at your neighbors, Daphne, the better. For one, her phone line isnt secure. I havent seen anyone leave the car, so I dont think theyve put a tap on the main phone box. But with those guys, you never know the extent of their resources. They have more devious tricks up their sleeves than the most accomplished of your master clowns. For now, just relay this information to Simon. Let him tell you what I need to do next.
Oh. Well, fine. Dont worry, though, if I dont rush back. Make yourself at homehelp yourself to a beer. Too late, Daphne remembered the state of her fridge. She sucked in her cheeks and crossed her eyes. Mrs. OBannon can talk a visitors leg off. She doesnt get a captive audience often, so she makes the most of it when she does. Believe me, I know of what I speak. I grocery shop for her. Bless her soul, she lost Mr. OBannon early last year. If it wasnt for her dog, Muffy, keeping her from being so lonely, I dont know what the poor woman would do. Her sons have intense jobs and large families of their own. And Mrs. O. flatly refuses to go live with any of them, even though all the boys have tried to talk her into moving in with them. She took a deep breath.
Has anyone said you do a fair job of talking someones leg off yourself? Logan noted dryly, doing his best to shove Daphne out the door. Im locking up after you leave. Dont mention me to any neighbor you meet along the way, either. Tap softly three times when you return. Im serious about this. If anyone hears you banging on the door, theyll come out to investigate. The fewer people who know youre entertaining a strange man in your apartment, the better. I get the feeling its not the norm for you. And itd only take one well-placed question for our pals out there to pinpoint my location.
Daphne stopped short of the door, digging in her heels. You think Im a blabbermouth and someone incapable of getting a date? The truth was she didnt date much. Hardly ever, in fact. But shed be darned if shed admit that to a man who probably had only to crook his little finger to have scores of dates falling in his lap.
Go! Logan opened the door and in spite of Daphnes resistance, shoved her out. He sighed a huge sigh as he bolted the door behind her, thinking if he escaped and remained alive, itd be a miracle. He was the solitary type, and Daphne Malone hadnt stopped talking since they crawled into that joke she called a car.